Kingdom of Lesotho

Understanding
climate risk
through data

An evidence-based platform for mapping, analysing and communicating climate-related risks across key sectors — supporting informed policy decisions and climate-resilient development.

Explore the Risk Map How we measure risk
5+
Sectors
19+
Risk indicators
10+
Districts covered

Photo: Mabuleng, Leribe, Lesotho — f_snarfel (via Panoramio), CC BY-SA 3.0 — via Wikimedia Commons

Methodology

What is climate risk, and how do we measure it?

Climate risk is determined by the interaction of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability — the framework used in IPCC assessments and national climate planning worldwide.

⚡
Risk
The potential for adverse outcomes affecting lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems
=
🌡
Hazard
The climate event — drought, flood, heatwave, erratic rainfall
×
📍
Exposure
People, assets and ecosystems in the path of the hazard
×
🏚
Vulnerability
Susceptibility to harm and capacity to cope and recover

How this applies in practice

Hazard and exposure are separate ideas: a drought only becomes a societal problem where people, assets, or ecosystems depend on rainfall. In some indicators, the data or calculation already brings these together — for example, a map of drought-affected farmland reflects both the climate stress and what is at risk. On the Risk explorer, layers are still grouped under Hazard, Exposure, Vulnerability, and Risk so you can see what drives each estimate, even when a single dataset represents more than one factor.

01
Evidence-based planning
Spatial and statistical data help identify where risk is greatest so resources can be targeted — rather than relying on anecdote alone.
02
What drives risk
Indicators on this platform are built from hazard, exposure, and vulnerability data — separately or combined, depending on the sector. That structure shows which factor matters most in each place and where adaptation can reduce risk.
03
Monitoring change
As climate and populations shift, indicators can be updated to support adaptive management of investments.
Risk sectors

Sectors in the platform

Climate risk is organised by sector and risk indicator. Open the Risk explorer to browse the live catalogue, map layers, charts, and tables.

Crop Agriculture
Explore spatial and summary indicators for this sector on the map.
Drought riskHeat stressFlood exposureCrop riskYield decline potential
Livestock Agriculture
Explore spatial and summary indicators for this sector on the map.
Total emissions
Water
Explore spatial and summary indicators for this sector on the map.
Water stressDrought / reduced runoffFlood riskSupply–demand gapSeasonal flow change
Human Health
Explore spatial and summary indicators for this sector on the map.
Heat-related illnessVector-borne disease riskFlood-related health riskWaterborne disease risk
Infrastructure
Explore spatial and summary indicators for this sector on the map.
Flood risk to infrastructureLandslide and erosion riskTransport and utility disruptionCritical infrastructure at risk

Open Risk explorer

Platform guide

Navigating the platform

The explorer is built around sectors, risk indicators, and linked datasets — each with map layers and supporting charts or tables where configured.

01
Choose a sector
Use the tree in the left panel on the Risk explorer to expand sectors and indicators.
02
Explore the map
Select an indicator to load layers, adjust opacity, and inspect features where available.
03
Charts and tables
Where configured, charts and tables summarise values alongside the map.
04
Access and downloads
Visibility of datasets follows your account and group membership. Administrators configure layers and catalogue entries.
Indicator tree structure
Climate Risk Platform
🌾 Crop Agriculture
Drought risk
Heat stress
Flood exposure
Crop risk
Yield decline potential
+ 4 more sector(s)…
Data sources

Built on trusted data

Indicators combine national priorities with remote sensing, climate reanalyses, and spatial baselines — surfaced through the catalogue and map.

🛰
Remote sensing
Satellite-derived land cover, vegetation indices, and thermal data where layers are configured.
🌦
Climate data
Gridded rainfall, temperature, and projections aligned to indicator methodology.
📊
National statistics
Census and sector statistics linked where indicators reference tabular sources.
🗺
Spatial baselines
Administrative boundaries, elevation, and infrastructure from national and open datasets.
Ready to explore?
Open the Risk explorer to browse sectors and indicators. Sign in for tools and catalogue access according to your account.
Open Risk explorer User guide
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